ATWILL, Percy Gerard
| Service Numbers: | 1408, 1508A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Cardiff, South Wales, Australia, 27 November 1888 |
| Home Town: | Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Meavy School in Devon from 1 May 1898 |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Ottoman Empire, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey, 27 August 1915, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Panel 36., Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1408, 13th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1408, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Sydney | |
| 27 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 1508A, 13th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1508A awm_unit: 13 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1915-08-27 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
He attended Meavy School in Devon from 1 May 1898 with his sister Gwendoline and brother Leslie. At one time Percy had served in the Royal Garrison Artillery but was discharged with Valvular Disease of the heart. After emigrating to Australia he enlisted on 23 December 1914, with the 13th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements Australian Field Force. He was killed in action, aged 27, at Courtney’s Post, Gallipoli, Turkey on 27 August 1915. He is buried at Lone Pine Memorial, Turkey. Thomas, his father, was a gunnery Sergeant born in Meavy, Devon. Thomas and Sarah Helen Atwill were married in Canada (she was American but had been given British citizenship). They had a total of nine children including the three soldier sons on the Walkhampton War Memorial. Another son, William emigrated from the UK to Australia prior to the outbreak of World War 1 to try his hand at gold-mining. He took two of his brothers with him – Percy and Thomas. All three joined the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force at the beginning of war in 1914 and were shipped out to the Dardanelles. William service number 1507, served with the Light Trench Mortar Battery and 3rd Reinforcements, 13th Battalion, won the Military Medal, and survived the war and was shipped back to England. The family were living at Upland Cottage, Dousland, back in Devon in 1911.
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